Symptom: Poor putting on downhill putts, especially missing downhill putts on the low side of the hole because, yet again, you have underestimated the break in that slow-rolling putt...
Description: Play more break than you normally would on downhill putts. That slow-rolling ball is going to break more than you think coming down the hill!
Why it works: Downhill putts need to be struck more softly than flat or uphill putts in order for the ball to finish eighteen inches past the hole. Gravity, you know. Since the ball is rolling more slowly, the slope of the green will affect the ball more, causing the ball to break more than you might expect. So, play more break in your downhill putts to ensure that your misses are always on the high side of the hole, as indicated below:
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| Slow-rolling downhill putts will have more break than a firmly-struck uphill putt. |
For an excellent (and fun) demonstration of this, have a look at Nick Faldo's putt for birdie at the 2009 Masters Par 3 tournament. Watch Nick's uphill putt -- there is almost no break going uphill (0:04). But then watch as the ball moves back downhill -- there is almost six inches of break coming downhill before Faldo's ball finally drops (0:12).
Of course Augusta National's lightning-fast greens exaggerate the effect beyond what the Occasional Golfer is likely to see, but the point still stands -- downhill putts have more break because the ball rolls more slowly, and gravity therefore has a larger effect on the ball's path.
Thanks to Sir Nick Faldo for this outstanding demonstration of uphill and downhill putting!
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May all your putts roll true -- GolfTipEditor
